Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

MILAGRO Image Gallery


This map shows the world's 20 most populous urban areas in 2004. With 21,503,000 people, Mexico City ranks third. ( Data courtesy of the World Gazetteer; illustration courtesy of Mike Shibao, UCAR.)
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MILAGRO takes place in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico and one of the largest cities in the world with approximately 22 million inhabitants. Prevailing winds usually blow the city's air pollution to the northeast in a plume that extends over the Gulf of Mexico.
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This is a computer generated 3-D rendering of the landscape surrounding Mexico City.
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Air pollution over Mexico City ( Photo courtesy of Nancy A.Marley)
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This satellite image from MOPITT shows air pollution over China and Southeast Asia during January 2003. ( Image courtesy of the NCAR MOPITT team)
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Satellite image of particulate pollution over Beijing, China. ( NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team)
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Ozone peaks in urban areas during late afternoon. ( Courtesy of UCAR)
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This building in Copola, Mexico, has been damaged by acid rain. ( Courtesy of UCAR Digital Image Library)
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An inversion layer hangs over residents of Boulder, Colorado. ( Source: T. Eastburn)
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This is a photo of the Veracruz International Airport. ( Courtesy of UCAR)
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This is a photo of the C-130 airplane. ( Courtesy of UCAR)
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This is a photo of the DC-8 airplane. ( Courtesy of NASA)
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This is a photo of the Gulfstream airplane. ( Courtesy of the DOE)
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This is an image of the J-31 airplane. ( Courtesy of NASA)
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This is a photo of the King Air plane. ( Courtesy of the DOE)
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This is a photo of the Twin Otter plane. ( Courtesy of the US Forest Service)
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This is a photo of a mobile lab. ( Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology)
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A scientist prepares to launch a radiosonde. ( Courtesy of the Digital Image Library, UCAR)
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Researchers with a tethersonde. ( Courtesy of the DOE)
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Wind profilers such as this one will help MILAGRO researchers measure wind speed and direction. ( Courtesy of NSF)
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A scientist prepares to launch a balloon with an ozonesonde and radiosonde attached. The dual instruments will collect ozone and weather information at heights up to 115,000 feet (35 km). ( Source: MILAGRO Image File)
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